When you sell a horse do you send "instructions"

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Countrychic

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Just being nosy :) when I sell horses I always write a few pointers for the new owner (it nearly always turns in to war and peace). A woman I've bought a couple from does it too but no one else I've come across does and most seem to think I'm barmy.
I tend to write what tack they wear, any bits we've tried and how the horse went. Feed the horse is on and any problems with other feeds, rugs the horse is in, amount of work, any funny quirks (all mine get a mint before I mount and as I dismount so I mention this as even if they don't want to continue doing it the horse may look puzzled at first). I include last checks with farrier, physio,dentist,wormers,vaccs.
I don't do it because I expect them to carry it on just because I think it gives the horse a good start.
 
I would if I sold anything. I could have done with a user manual when I bought my big boy back in 2004. He had more buttons than a space ship and I had many a surprise, the best being during a elem test when I asked for shoulder in and got canter half pass. Wonderful old boy, 20 now and here's hoping he comes back into work soon.

The one I bought last autumn would have come with the following:-

Greedy, grumpy, ignorant, thelwell in disguise, smiles and then bites when you are least expecting it and makes it very clear that it is 'my way or the highway'.

Six months on and many smacks, she is greedy, less grumpy, open to discussion before giving the OK and gives a warning before biting.

Who let me buy a mare !!
 
Sort of. I send their feed with them and details of any thing that might be helpful. I also give them details of the vet, farrier, EDT etc that I used in case something crops up.
By the time the buyers have driven the horse away, they know everything to hopefully minimise surprises and help them through the early days.
They always know that they can ring if they have a question but the nice thing is, that they've come back a few months later and said that the horse was exactly as I'd said it was.
If it is possible,(life permitting) I'd always have them back if circumstances change.
 
I have always had and given food/shoeing/rugs/tack/wormer etc details

I try and tell them as much as possible and hope I receive the same (though I have only brought unbacked horses for the last 8 years so generally not much to tell! ;) )
 
We have given farrier/wormer/vaccinations/food/rugs/tack etc details, and any supplements such as biotin or joint supplement they had been kept on.

With one horse, who was a bit quirky, we told them some tips with some of the things he was funny about e.g. travelling, being tied up and left alone etc just to avoid any surprises/accidents !
 
I did with my old pony but they ignored most of it and now ring up asking for advice as the pony hasn't been travelling/catching etc. If they had actually taken heed of what I had written and said to them extensively these situations would not happen. I would still do it again though and hope I get a more observant buyer!
 
I used to have projects, although I always said to contact me if any problems, I did used to give them written stuff too. People remember stuff like whether you've said a horse is good to clip, but things like what command you give to lengthen the stride on the lunge get easily forgotten, or which feed you discovered is too heating for them etc if in the future they need to change etc.
 
I always did similar :)
A A5 sheet of animal details of routine stuff, last date shod/wormed, when vacc's due etc & pony odd habits (as well as how much hay they would usually have in winter & what bedding suited & what didnt if applicable), also a photocopy of registration document for them too if a registered pony.

I'd also make up a picnic of at least 1 if not 2 feeds of what horse/pony was currently on just to help out new owners & make transition easier for animal :)
 
I did :)

It started off as just a list of dates (shod, wormed, teeth etc) .

Then I added things that he likes & dislikes.

Then I remembered how much fun we had discovering his itchy spots, his way of showing you where to itch him, his love of sweeping up & his cheekiness of loving to tip barrows full of muck over :)

So then I started again & just kept it to the dates & things that he really doesn't like (which wasn't a lot) & have left them to discover the fun bits themselves :D xx
 
Depends what I am selling. When sold my old eventer, I sent a massive email all about him because he was a nightmare until he settled anywhere so it was to reassure that he was going to be a complete git and test the boundaries but to be strong.

I usually buy cheap horses to bring on so would not expect a manual as I am buying them to transform them so have my own way of dealing with things and what I want them to get used to.
 
I did. But I was selling a horse that I had had for 6 years and I wanted his new owners to really enjoy him. They didn't have to stick to anything I had said or had him in but by giving them the exact heads up they didn't waste time finding it all out all over again.
 
i do, all there wormer , teeth dates , vacc's , saddles checks etc are written in the "notes" part of there passports
i wrote all feed down for the last one and sent feed and all his buckets with him as i thought he might not settle well and wanted him to have things he knew with him (i'm soft :o )
he has gone to a friend so i am at the end of the phone if she has a problem and i'm happy to go over or explain things but he was pretty uncomplicated really and used the same snaffle for everything only needing a flash if he went hunting :)

i sold a mare a few years ago and she went with labeled tack :o what to use for hacking , jumping , schooling etc
i did provide different bridles for different jobs but she could be tricky = you had to have breaks out hacking but too much breaks jumping and she'd strop/stop
she was a very nice horse but you had to play by her rules ;) or not at all so she had a manual :D
 
Along with feed, tack tips, vet history etc, the tip I gave when I sold my last horse was 'Never get on without a body protector'!!

In fairness, I had also sold him for half his value becuase he was a nasty bucker, and she was very aware of what he *could* do... and still does!

I was EXCEPTIONALLY lucky to find him such a fantastic home with a lovely lady who adores him despite his nasty buck!
 
I've never sold a horse but if I did they would always go with instructions, as much for their benefit as for the new owners - it must be confusing enough for a horse to go to a new place with new people, without then being treated in a slightly different way / asked different commands - would just be easier on them I think. And things like last worming dates / certain quirks / tack tried would be good too.

I wish my horse had come with an instruction manual! It's been almost a year and I'm still struggling to understand what she "gets" and what she doesn't. I still haven't found the command for stop (;)) and really struggle to communicate with her sometimes, I know some of it is due to her still not being settled but it would be helpful to know how she's been handled / ridden previously so that I could mirror it to some extent (we bought her from a dealer so never met the owners) - it's all very much guesswork and trying slightly different methods, with the occasional massive breakthrough when something works.
 
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